The Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle

 The Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle – August 24, 2025

Psalm 89; Proverbs 3:1-8; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

St. Luke 22:24-30

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Scripture tells us little to nothing about St. Bartholomew other than that he is listed as one of the twelve Apostles. He is likely the same man who is called Nathaniel. Both names appear in lists of Christ’s disciples but never both names in the same list.[1] “Nathaniel” is probably a name given to Bartholomew by Christ, in the same way our Lord renames Simon to be Peter and Saul to be Paul. What we know for certain is that St. Bartholomew was among the twelve who celebrated the Passover with Christ on the night on which He was betrayed.

Immediately after He instituted the Lord’s Supper, Christ told the disciples that one among them was His betrayer. The Apostles then began to question and dispute among themselves who it was that would betray their Lord.[2] But this dispute quickly turned from “Is it I, Lord?” to arguing who among them was the greatest. How easy it is to turn from humility to pride, from repentance to self-justification.

Christ our Lord interrupts the dispute of the disciples to say, “The kings of the nations exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’”[3] We must pause here for a moment and consider what it is our Lord is saying. He is not condemning the kings of the nations nor calling them tyrants. The term “benefactor” has positive implications. He is speaking of kings and rulers who exercise their rightful authority over their subjects and for their gracious treatment, are loved by their people. Plain experience shows that it is easy to love a good and gracious ruler. He is loved for his deeds and policies.

Yet it should not be so with the Apostles. Christ says that whoever is greatest among you should be as the younger, and the one who governs should be as a servant. The younger son never aspires to be king, that is reserved for the oldest. The younger does not inherit most of the father’s wealth, it is for the greater. The greatness of kings is found in their strength, their generosity, their valor in war. It is plainly obvious that the one sitting at the table is greater than the one who serves him. And yet Christ is among the Apostles to serve them.

There is a clear and distinct pattern in the Scriptures of the younger son receiving the promises of God, especially in the Book of Genesis. Seth is younger than Cain. Shem is younger than Japheth. Isaac, Jacob, and Judah are all younger than Ishmael, Esau, and Levi. Even Moses was younger than Aaron and, of course, David was the youngest of his brothers. Each of these men prefigured Christ in being the bearers of the promise of salvation, demonstrating that God is no respecter of persons. The first shall be last and the last first.

Now when it comes to the birth of Christ, it is true that He is the Only-Begotten of the Father and that He is born of a virgin womb. He has no older brother. He is, however, born of a lowly virgin, born into poverty. He was born in a stable without even a cradle to lay His head. What’s more, the Christ is identified as the Son of David. Yet He is separated from King David by almost 1,000 years. In that sense, there are many sons older than He. Every faithful Christian of the Old Testament was longing for the birth of the Christ, so in that sense, He is a very late child, the youngest of them all. In the more immediate context, while only a cousin by our reckoning, St. John the Baptist was Christ’s senior by 6 months, his forerunner according to Scripture, the elder one who must come before to pave the way for the younger.

And so, the Apostles are not to be benefactors, but to become inheritors. They do not gain subjects by strength, valor, or lean fiscal policies. They are given a kingdom just as the Father bestowed a kingdom on Christ.[4] They do not receive this kingdom by right, as the firstborn, but by grace, as a gift, as the younger son receives a kingdom.

If we are to understand this kingdom, we must know two things: the nature of the kingdom (or what it is) and where this kingdom can be found. Regarding the nature of the kingdom bestowed upon the Apostles, we must first notice that Christ places a distinction between it and His kingdom. “I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon me, that you may eat and drink at My Table in My kingdom.”[5] All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Christ, that His kingdom governs all of creation.[6] When Christ says His kingdom is not of this earth, He doesn’t mean that His authority doesn’t extend into the physical world.[7] He means that His kingdom does not originate in this world. It originates in the Father, from before the foundations of the earth.

The kingdom bestowed on the Apostles does originate in this world, though it still originates in God. Its origin is in the flesh of the Incarnate Christ. He bestows this kingdom upon the Apostles as He establishes His church and the office of the Holy Ministry. He establishes it in their words as they are inspired by the Holy Spirit to compose the very Word of God in the New Testament. In this kingdom, they are not to govern as benefactors nor as tyrants, but as servants. They should not find greatness in earthly works of might, valor, or finances. Their greatness is in service.

And if they are servants, whose authority are they under? Who tells them to go and they go, or to come and they come?[8] They are under the very authority of Christ. You hear it every Sunday, “In the stead and by the command of Christ.” At His command, the Apostles administer the gifts of Christ within the Church.

We can understand the kingdom bestowed on the Apostles as the Church. We even confess this in the creed, “I believe in One, holy, Christian, and Apostolic Church.” But we must ask further, what do we mean by this phrase? Is it having an unbroken lineage of bishops from the time of St. Peter to the present? Is the kingdom bestowed by the Apostles via the supernatural laying on of hands, at which time men are vested with an indelible spiritual gift? No. The Apostolic nature of the Church is bestowed through Christ, the very Word of God. We are Apostolic because we believe, teach, and confess the very words given to the Apostles. It was not given to them to rule the church even as benefactors, bestowing their “supernatural gifts” according to persons. They are given to rule the church by their doctrine, that is, in rendering humble service to Christ by delivering His Words and gifts to His people.

The Apostles sit on thrones judging the doctrine of the twelve tribes of Israel, that is, the Church. We are judged according to the Word of God. Do we hold to the teachings of the Apostles? Then we are judged righteous. Do we deny the teachings of the Apostles? Then we are found lacking, wise in our own eyes and destitute of the wisdom of God.

The Church is the earthen vessel in which we have the treasure of Christ.[9] It is comprised of human beings, flesh and blood, earthen vessels, including those who have been separated from their flesh for a time, that is, the saints who have fallen asleep in Christ and await the restoration of their flesh. The excellence and the power are of God and God alone, yet it is stored in the very flesh of the earthen vessels of the Church. We carry in our bodies the very death and life of Christ.

Having just participated in the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the Apostles could not have understood these words of Christ in any other way, “that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom.”[10] Every time we earthen vessels dine on the Body and Blood of Christ, the kingdom of the Apostles is sitting at the very Table of Christ within His kingdom. All authority in heaven and earth is descending upon that altar to be given to you to eat and drink. He, the Almighty God, Himself, condescends to serve you as both host and meal.

Holy Scripture may not say much directly about St. Bartholomew, but we know everything about him that we need. We know that he stands as one of Christ’s Apostles, through whom the kingdom of the Church has come to us. Even as he dined on the flesh of Christ that first Maundy Thursday, we too stand to receive the eternal life of Christ into our very bodies this day.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Cr. St. Matthew 10:3; St. Mark 3:19; St. Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13 with St. John 1:45-51; 21:2-3, 12-13.

[2] St. Luke 22:23.

[3] St. Luke 22:25.

[4] St. Luke 22:28.

[5] St. Luke 22:29-30.

[6] St. Matthew 28:18.

[7] St. John 18:36.

[8] St. Matthew 8:9; St. Luke 7:8.

[9] 2 Corinthians 4:7-10.

[10] St. Luke 22:30.